Mining

Chemical Engineering

Genomics

Industry

Sustainability

Researchers from the University of Toronto – in collaboration with a group of mining firms – are using acid-loving bacteria to design new processes for recovering nickel, a critical mineral in growing demand around the world.

The research partnership with the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering includes the following companies: Vale, Glencore, Metso-Outotec, BacTech, MIRARCO and Yakum Consulting. The insights gained could enable these companies to reduce their environmental footprint while at the same time gaining access to new sources of nickel, which is used in everything from stainless steel to next-generation batteries for electric vehicles.

Supported by $2 million in funding through Ontario Genomics from Genome Canada and another $2 million from the Government of Ontario, the industrial partners will also provide approximately $2 million in funding and in-kind contributions, bringing the total up to $6 million.

Radhakrishnan Mahadevan (photo by Sara Collaton)

“Tailings from nickel mining operations have been an environmental challenge for a very long time,” says Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, a professor in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry who is leading the new partnership.

“If exposed to oxygen, chemical reactions in the tailings generate acids that makes them toxic to most forms of life. But we know that there are some microbes that can thrive in these environments. The biochemical techniques they use to survive can offer us new pathways to meet our goals.”

In Canada, nickel is found in ores that are mostly composed of iron and sulphur. After most of the nickel is extracted, the iron and sulphur remain, along with trace amounts of nickel – typically less than 1 per cent by weight. Together, these substances are known as tailings, and they exit the extraction process in the form of a slurry, a suspension of tiny mineral particles in water.

If the slurry is exposed to oxygen, the sulphur remaining in the slurry can become oxidized to form sulphate, a key component of sulphuric acid. To slow this process, the tailings are typically stored under water in tailings ponds. However, over time, these ponds still become highly acidic, with a pH in the range of 1-2.

Mahadevan, University Professor Elizabeth Edwards and Professor Vladimiros Papangelakis – all in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry – have been studying the organisms that are able to survive in these tailings ponds.

Several years ago, the team obtained samples from a mine tailings site operated by one of their industrial partners. By analyzing DNA present in this sample, they were able to identify a new strain of an organism known as Acidithiobacillus ferridurans. In 2020, they published the full genome of this new strain, which they called Acidithiobacillus ferridurans JAGS.

Ever since, the researchers have been further enhancing the capabilities of this bacterium through a process known as adaptive evolution. Samples that grow well in the presence of low concentrations of mine tailings are gradually exposed to increasingly higher concentrations. The best of those cultures are exposed to even higher concentrations, creating new strains that are more effective at carrying out key chemical reactions.

“This bacterial strain can actually extract energy from the oxidation of both iron and sulphur in a process that we call bio-leaching,” Mahadevan says.

“In the process, they also liberate the remaining nickel, which would otherwise be very difficult to recover from a solution this dilute. What’s amazing about the bacterium is that it can carry out these reactions at ambient temperatures and low pressures. And even more exciting is the idea that, if we understand how they are doing it, we might be able to control and direct the process.”

For example, the sulphur in the tailings is in the form of sulphide. Mahadevan says that instead of oxidizing it all the way to sulphate, which forms the acid, it might be possible to alter the process to instead create elemental sulphur. In this case, the sulphur would precipitate out of solution and could be sold as a commodity chemical for other applications, such as the production of fertilizers.

Mahadevan says the team will continue enhancing the bacterium through adaptive evolution, but that they are also pursuing a genetic engineering approach by using the emerging gene editing technique known as CRISPR.

“One of the things we’ve learned from studying this strain is that it has made more copies of certain genes that are involved in the transport of metal ions within the cell.

“If we use gene editing to further enhance the expression of these kinds of genes, we might be able to help it to grow even better, or to be more effective at carrying out the kinds of chemical transformations we want it to do,” Mahadevan says.

“Partnerships between the researchers and industry are the cornerstone of Ontario’s thriving innovation community,” says Bettina Hamelin, president and CEO of Ontario Genomics.

“By supporting the development and uptake of new technologies that provide game-changing solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, Ontario Genomics is helping to nurture healthy people, a healthy economy and a healthy planet for generations to come.”

Mahadevan estimates that it will take another three to five years before the research team has both a bacterial strain and an associated process that will be ready to be tested in the field.

“Our goal with this project is to eliminate the technical bottlenecks to the application – to de-risk sufficiently so that our partners can put in the resources it would take to fully deploy it in their operations,” he says.

“If they can do that, it could not only completely change the way they deal with mine tailings, but also provide access to new sources of nickel – which will only become more important in the years to come.”

U of T partners with Vale Energy Transition Metals to accelerate sustainable mining solutions

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 21:12:08 +0000

U of T partners with Vale Energy Transition Metals to accelerate sustainable mining solutions

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/09/2023 - 16:12

Cutline

Vale Energy Transition Metals Executive Vice-President Deshnee Naidoo and Chief Technical Officer Luke Mahony, left, pose for a photo with U of T's Alex Mihailidis and Rachel Wallace (photo by Alex Webster/Pinpoint Photography)

Tyler Irving

Topic

Global Lens

Industry Partnerships

Sustainability

A new partnership between the University of Toronto and Vale Energy Transition Metals will strengthen Canada’s position in the critical minerals sector by developing sustainable mining solutions, as well as fostering Canadian skills and talent.

The framework agreement was signed this week at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2023 Convention, held in Toronto. The partnership launches with an initial $1.6-million investment over the next three years and will include several multidisciplinary projects led by experts from both institutions.

“As our economy continues its transition toward carbon-free sources of energy, the supply of critical minerals – such as nickel and cobalt, among many others – will only become more important,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“Through this new partnership, we are keeping Canada at the forefront of innovation and further strengthening our position as a trusted global supplier of sustainably sourced critical minerals.”

Last year, the Government of Canada launched the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, which aims to increase the supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals and support the development of domestic and global value chains for the green and digital economy. The new partnership is a flagship example of how those aims can be realized.

“U of T has a long track record of excellence in mining and mineral processing technology, which has been foundational for developing new tools and technologies across the industry,” says Alex Mihailidis, U of T’s associate vice-president, international partnerships.

“Today, we are not only supporting Vale’s ambitions to be leaders in the critical minerals space but also strengthening Canada’s position as global sustainability leaders in key sectors like electric vehicles, power generation and energy storage. Canadian innovation is enhancing our capabilities across this entire value chain, and materials are a vital link.”  

One of the first projects to be funded under the partnership will look at new ways of processing low-grade nickel-containing ultramafic ores.

These ores are plentiful in Canada, including in the area of Thompson, Man., where Vale has significant operations. They represent a major potential new source of nickel, a critical component of lithium-ion batteries, but are difficult to process with existing techniques.

“These ores have a very high magnesium content, which interferes with the operation of conventional mineral processing and smelting techniques,” says Mansoor Barati, a professor in the department of materials science and engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

“In partnership with Vale Energy Transition Metals, my group plans to develop an alternative route for nickel recovery which does not require high-temperature smelting. This addresses the challenge posed by the magnesium, but it also lowers the overall energy footprint of the process and could virtually eliminate sulphur dioxide emissions as well.”

Vale Energy Transition Metals, headquartered in Toronto, is one of the world’s largest producers of responsibly sourced nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals. In Canada, the U.K., Brazil, Japan and Indonesia, Vale produces critical minerals that power electric vehicles, create renewable energy solutions and help develop life-saving medical equipment.

“This multiyear strategic partnership is an important catalyst to accelerate and expand our portfolio of decarbonization efforts and circular mining knowledge,” says Vale Energy Transition Metals Executive Vice President Deshnee Naidoo.

“For Vale, it means working in close co-operation with leading minds and researchers across a global network to drive innovation, expand the skills of our people and provide new ways to link to the communities where we operate.”

The partnership will extend beyond research to include experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

“Canada is poised to be a leader in the clean-energy transition – we have the capacity and the ambition,” says U of T Engineering's Rachel Wallace, an associate director, strategy and business development.

“This partnership is a first of its kind for the industry producing new technologies, novel knowledge discovery and a built-in pipeline to bring those insights to market. Most importantly for young people and Canada, it will create high-value, future-ready career paths, helping us foster a new generation of world-class talent.”

Learn more about industry partnerships at U of T

As demand for EVs grows, student researcher explores social and ecological risks of lithium 'gold rush'

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:59:10 +0000

As demand for EVs grows, student researcher explores social and ecological risks of lithium 'gold rush'

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 09/29/2022 - 10:59

Cutline

A lithium mine at Salinas Grandes in the salt desert of Jujuy province, Argentina (photo by xeni4ka/iStock)

Cynthia Macdonald

Topic

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Climate Positive Energy

Climate Change

Faculty of Arts & Science

Sustainability

University College

Lithium may be the lightest of all metals, but demand for it has been extremely heavy in recent years.

That’s because lithium is a major player in the transition to clean energy: a critical component of the batteries that power smartphones, laptops and, critically, electric vehicles (EVs.) Most of the world’s supply is currently mined in South America, but a global “gold rush” is on to find new sources – such as Canada, where several new mining projects are in the exploration phase.

Amalie Wilkinson

Thanks to the Climate Positive Energy (CPE) initiative at the University of Toronto, one of several institutional strategic initiatives, Amalie Wilkinson was able to spend this past summer focusing on research into the potential risks associated with lithium mining. Specifically, her work focuses on the potential social and ecological impacts of lithium extraction in Canada.

The CPE’s goal is to help develop policy solutions that will ensure Canada’s place as a clean energy role model – a goal Wilkinson shares personally. It’s also one reflected in the work the group has been doing as part of a team that includes partners from the University of Guelph, the University of Sydney and the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition, Wilkinson's research would not have been possible without faculty supervisor Donald Kingsbury, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in political science and Latin American studies, who mentored and enabled the fieldwork.

“We’re looking at the cost to Indigenous communities and to the habitat,” says Wilkinson, a member of University College who is entering the third year of a honours bachelor of arts degree program, majoring in international relations and peace, conflict and justice studies. “We’re examining those dynamics, and then asking what solutions could be implemented so that we can tackle climate change without endangering the entire environment.

“We want to inform how we can make a clean transition a just transition.”

Recently, an Anishinabeg First Nation in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec asked to lead its own environmental assessment of one mining project scheduled to be established on ancestral land. Another proposed project has raised environmental concerns.

“The main issue there is that the proposed mine is near a body of water called an ‘esker,’ which is a type of geological formation – typically a long narrow ridge of sand and gravel left after a glacial period marking the former beds of meltwater streams,” says Wilkinson. “It produces a lot of high-quality water, so when the mining company came in, the community had a lot of concerns about the fact that the water could be contaminated.”

From left: Kazim Agha, Shatha Qaqish-Clavering, Amalie Wilkinson, Graham Takata, Ahmed Khalil, Irene Lam and Feiran Zhou.

As part of the CPE project, Wilkinson spent a week with a team in Abitibi-Témiscamingue this summer conducting field interviews with stakeholders. “We’ve also done online interviews with companies and other industry players, as well as broader civil society actors, to try and get a full picture of what the perceptions are.”

In addition, they performed an intensive review of academic and other literature on the subject.

Lithium-ion batteries present a real solution to the problems created by energy sources such as fossil fuels: they are rechargeable and store energy efficiently. So how can lithium be sourced in a way that minimizes harm to people and habitats?

It’s still very much an open question, though solutions may be at hand. One thing to note, says Wilkinson, is that fully replacing gas-powered vehicles with EVs is not necessarily desirable.

“That’s mainly a solution for rich countries. And it would have massive impacts on local landscapes through mining as well as emissions produced from mines: so the first thing is only taking as much as we need, and not producing more than that.”

Reducing transport costs is also key, as is the testing of nascent technologies such as direct lithium extraction. “Essentially, this removes lithium from the mines as water, then returns the water to the ground. It’s a way of consuming less water than has been done in mines in South America, for example.”

A committed environmental activist, Wilkinson has been interested in sustainability issues since she was in Grade 4, when she became interested in the problem of deforestation. “I sent a letter to our federal government. The response I got disillusioned me with the political process – there didn’t seem to be much political will to protect our environment,” she says.

Involvement with human rights issues and advocacy followed in high school. But Wilkinson experienced a big turning point last year when she was encircled by a giant wildfire during a canoe trip in northern Saskatchewan.

“It was a situation where I was looking straight into this massive fire that had been exacerbated due to climate change,” she recalls. “I realized something like this can reach you wherever you are, even in a Global North country like Canada – and it’s something that’s only going to get worse. It really flipped a switch inside of me. I said to myself, ‘You’ve got to do something. If it’s not going to be you, who’s going to do it?’”

Spurred into action, Wilkinson soon founded the Toronto chapter of Stop Ecocide. Launched in England in 2017, the organization seeks to make “ecocide” – defined as widespread, long-term damage to the environment caused by such activities as deforestation, industrial fishing and oil spills – an international crime.

Her lithium research is already earning praise. In August, the CPE held its first research day project showcase and student awards event. Wilkinson was one of three undergraduate researchers who was presented an award by a panel of judges from the fields of business and innovation.

“I was honoured that the judging panel recognized my research,” she says. “For me, it was very much a testament to how new and how critical this research is, looking at the perspectives of communities who are impacted by mining for a clean transition in Canada.

“The local stakeholders in Quebec’s emerging lithium sector have not yet had a significant voice in academic discussions around critical minerals and clean energy. In my opinion, it is important that this change.”

From wood towers to more efficient mining: How U of T is driving innovation, economic prosperity across Ontario

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 04:00:00 +0000

From wood towers to more efficient mining: How U of T is driving innovation, economic prosperity across Ontario

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 09/18/2019 - 00:00

Cutline

A 14-storey academic building made of engineered wood is proposed for the top of the Goldring Centre (photo by Peter Vanderheyden)

Topic

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Forestry

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Meric Gertler

It may be located far from Ontario's northern forests, but the 14-storey, engineered wood-framed tower proposed for the University of Toronto’s St. George campus will help to propel mass timber construction in the province.

Mass timber is prized as an innovative building material because of its low carbon footprint, structural integrity, fire-resistant properties and aesthetic appeal. Research and building projects at U of T, including the Academic Wood Tower, are helping to showcase mass timber’s potential and spur innovation and job creation in forestry.

It’s just one example of how industries contributing to economic development across Ontario are benefiting from research and expertise at U of T.

The project is expected to help “communities in northern Ontario find exciting new markets for their forest products,” said Anne Koven (pictured left), director of Ontario’s Mass Timber Institute and adjunct professor in the forestry program at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

The Academic Wood Tower is one project that will be highlighted in Sudbury this week at a roundtable on “Northern Ontario’s Innovation Ecosystem.” It's one in a series of events across Ontario this fall that will explore how cutting-edge research and talent at U of T are helping open new markets for industry and driving growth in Ontario.

The series was organized by the University of Toronto and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to examine regional challenges to economic development in the province.

The series moves to Peterborough on Sept. 27 for a panel on “Scaling Up Small Business” and concludes in Hamilton on Oct. 3 with a discussion on “Regional Collaboration in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).”

“Ontario’s post-secondary institutions play a vital role in driving innovation in both traditional and emerging industries, and the University of Toronto makes a unique contribution across the province through our multidisciplinary research strengths,” said U of T President Meric Gertler.

“These roundtables will advance our long-standing collaborations with government and industry to translate ideas into solutions that create opportunites and long-term growth in communities throughout Ontario.”

In the province’s north, that means harnessing innovation to help traditional industries in the natural resources adapt to sustainability considerations and changing market demands.

Koven, who will be a part of Wednesday’s roundtable in Sudbury, says the growing interest in mass timber among architects, engineers and designers is creating a heightened need for research, something U of T is well equipped to supply.

“We need good research because architects, designers and construction companies have experience in building with concrete and steel, not with wood – certainly not with these new wood products,” she said. “We believe that U of T researchers are well placed to help this sector with the knowledge that they need.”

Koven adds that partnerships – and the “north-south connection” fostered between U of T and its partners in the north – are crucial to the health of the forestry industry. It’s a message she’s keen to convey at the Sudbury roundtable.

In addition to forestry, Sudbury’s economy has also long been synonymous with mining, an industry that faces urgent challenges pertaining to energy consumption and waste management, according to Assistant Professor Erin Bobicki (pictured left) of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering's department of materials science and engineering.

Bobicki, who is cross-appointed to the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, says the first step in the mining process – the crushing and grinding of rocks to liberate minerals – is so inefficient that only around one per cent of energy put into the process actually goes into breaking rocks.

“My recent calculations, based on data from Natural Resources Canada, showed that we use more energy to break rocks than we do in the entire pulp and paper industry,” said Bobicki. “Mining is the most energy-intensive industry in Canada, so we really need to come up with better ways to do this.”

To that end, Bobicki is leading a public-private-academic consortium called CanMicro that is researching the use of microwaves to provoke thermal responses in target minerals located in rocks, allowing for more efficient use of energy.

She is also collaborating with mining companies located in Sudbury – including the Brazilian multinational Vale SA, where she began her career as a metallurgist – to find ways to reduce the environmental impact of tailings, which are waste and byproducts left over from mining.

“The vision is that we eventually get to a point where we don’t have tailings or anything that will be viewed as waste, but everything will be viewed as a commodity,” she said.

Bobicki said the Sudbury roundtable is also an opportunity to highlight obstacles faced by entrepreneurs in the mining industry trying to scale up their business. “If an innovation comes from a small entrepreneur, they often don’t have the resources to take on expensive and technically risky projects to demonstrate that their idea works.”

That’s a challenge ubiquitous across industries, and one that U of T is looking to tackle by building strong ties between its research community and industry partners.

Derek Newton (pictured left), assistant vice-president, innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship, says U of T currently works with around 300 private-sector partners that include several Canadian-owned small-and medium-sized enterprises.

“We’re always looking for companies that have technical challenges and research questions,” said Newton. “We connect them to U of T researchers who can help them address their challenges and tackle important research questions together. These partnerships help companies create new products and services that can benefit Ontario.”

Newton gives the example of Peterborough-based company Charlotte Products, which worked with the labs of Professor Christopher Yip (pictured left) from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and University Professor Shana Kelley (pictured far left) from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy to develop novel cleaning products that are fighting the spread of infections in hospitals and care facilities. The partnership was supported by U of T, the company and the federal government.

The Peterborough roundtable on Sept. 27 will see Newton moderate a panel discussion on scaling up small business that will include Diane Richard, Charlotte Products’ director of product development, on the panel. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s associate minister of small business and red tape reduction, will address the group.

The roundtable series will conclude in Hamilton on Oct. 3 with a discussion on how regional collaboration among post-secondary institutions, businesses, government and other organizations can foster collaboration, both in expertise and resources, to tackle key economic challenges in the GTHA.

Few initiatives exemplify this form of collaboration like the Smart Freight Centre, which was established by U of T in conjunction with Peel Region, McMaster University and York University to spur research and innovation pertaining to the transportation of goods across the GTHA.

The chair of the centre, Professor Matthew Roorda of the department of civil and mineral engineering, will shed light on how the centre’s activities – which cover issues ranging from robotics and emissions to transportation policy and solving congestion – stand to boost the economic vibrancy and general quality of life across the GTHA.

Seven U of T researchers awarded $3.8 million in federal grants for projects benefiting economy, environment

noreen.rasbach — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 19:09:36 +0000

Seven U of T researchers awarded $3.8 million in federal grants for projects benefiting economy, environment

noreen.rasbach Wed, 06/26/2019 - 15:09

Cutline

Assistant Professor Erin Bobicki, one of seven U of T researchers whose projects have been awarded federal funding, will partner with mining company Vale Canada on storing CO2 in mine tailings to keep it out of the atmosphere (photo by Kevin Soobrian)

Peter Boisseau

Topic

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Advanced Manufacturing

Cell and Systems Biology

Chemical Engineering

Environment

Faculty of Arts & Science

Forestry

Materials Science

U of T Scarborough

Seven University of Toronto researchers working with industrial and institutional partners have been awarded funding from the federal government for projects ranging from new medical diagnostic tools to environmentally friendly advancements in mining, forestry and manufacturing.

The joint research initiatives are receiving a total of nearly $3.8 million over three years in strategic partnership grants from Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). The grants are aimed at increasing research and training in targeted areas that will impact the Canadian economy, society or the environment within the next 10 years.

“These research projects demonstrate how U of T successfully collaborates with private industry and government to tackle big challenges by harnessing science to benefit society in areas like the environment, communications, natural resources and advanced manufacturing,” said Vivek Goel, U of T’s vice-president of research and innovation.

“In the process, we’re also ensuring our best and brightest young researchers get the training they need to become highly qualified for the jobs of the future.”

The projects – which add to U of T’s existing partnership initiatives – cover everything from CO₂ storage techniques in mining that also create valuable products from industrial waste to the development of new generations of materials and components for electric cars and fibre optics. (See full list of recipients below.)

At U of T Scarborough, Carl Mitchell is working with forestry companies and government departments in northwestern Ontario to modify wood harvesting practices to reduce mercury contamination of watersheds, lakes and fish.

The associate professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences is receiving $584,870 over three years for his partnership with Domtar Corp., Dryden Forest Management Co., Obishikokaang Resources Corp., the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Natural Resources Canada.

“Mercury is a global pollutant that gets around very easily in the atmosphere, but when it gets into the soil it’s very stable and doesn’t go anywhere,” says Mitchell.

“But there is some evidence that forestry practices can disrupt that stability, and then mercury runs off into adjacent lakes and rivers.”

The project will seek to determine how forestry practices can be modified here to keep the mercury stable in the ground instead of leaking into nearby waterways.

Mitchell, who is also the acting chair of U of T Scarborough’s graduate environmental sciences program, estimates that 20 U of T students will be involved in the project over the course of the three-year study.

Wai Tung Ng’s research, in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, is focused on using gallium nitride (GaN) in the motor drive control units of electric vehicles as part of a new generation of semi-conductor materials that are more efficient than silicon. Those electronics are traditionally air cooled but liquid cooling is better at extracting the heat generated from the motors, he said.

The professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering is receiving $590,042 over three years for his project with Oakville auto-parts company Dana Canada.

“This project is specifically to develop manufacturing techniques to assemble GaN transistors in a package that can be liquid cooled,” said Ng.

He adds there are huge benefits for students involved in the research project. “Our aim is to train three to five master's and PhD students who will be qualified to work in this area after graduation.”

Assistant Professor Erin Bobicki of the department of materials science and engineering and department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry is receiving $471,230 over three years that will allow her to partner with mining company Vale Canada on storing CO₂ in mine tailings to keep it out of the atmosphere. They are also researching how to use CO₂ to store mining waste as a stable dry compound that could be used in products like cements.

“There are multiple environmental benefits associated with this,” said Bobicki, who calculates that a 50,000-ton-per-day mining operation could store the equivalent CO₂ emitted by a one MW power plant.

The research is also looking at reacting CO₂ with raw ores to make it easier to extract valuable metals such as nickel.

“There is going to be a huge demand for nickel for electric vehicles, and if we can figure out how to economically process this ore using CO₂, we can unlock over $40 billion worth of nickel in northern Manitoba,” said Bobicki.

For Professor Peter Herman of the department of electrical and computer engineering, the three-year $651,960 grant will allow him to work with multiple partners on a range of fibre optical components and advanced manufacturing techniques with implications for medical diagnostic tools, the Internet of Things (IoT) and even astronomical sciences.

One key focus is shrinking the size of components and integrating them with glass material in fibre optical devices.

“We’re inventing devices that could be fitted into optical fibres and inserted into the body, to measure things on a scale not possible right now, and in less invasive ways with far richer detail,” Herman said.

His research also looks at adding sensors to fibre optical communication systems for the IoT, to monitor and exchange information in far more dynamic ways.

The potential applications for the work are broad. Herman’s co-grantees include U of T faculty members Stewart Aitchison, Alex Vitkin and Victor Yang and Ontario-based companies ChipCare, North, Light Matter Interaction and Raytheon (Elcan) Optical Technologies.

Herman said the project will also give summer students a taste of manufacturing-based research as well as provide invaluable training to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

The U of T researchers involved in the seven Strategic Partnership Grants are:

Erin Bobicki, assistant professor, department of materials science and engineering and department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, “Novel strategies for C0₂ utilization and storage in mineral processing,” $471,230

Peter Herman, professor, department of electrical and computer engineering, “3D additive/subtractive laser manufacturing of photonic circuit and sensor micro-systems,” $651,960

Sean Hum, professor, department of electrical and computer engineering, “Innovative satellite antennas for emerging M2M/IoT applications,” $473,775

Carl Mitchell, associate professor, department of physical and environmental sciences, U of T Scarborough, “Identifying and evaluating the effectiveness of best management practices to mitigate mercury contamination in managed forests,” $584,870

Wai Tung Ng, professor, department of electrical and computer engineering, “MOST – manufacturing and applications of GaN power semiconductor devices/modules,” $590,042

Yu Sun, professor, department of mechanical and industrial engineering, “Development of new techniques for high-speed and high-accuracy industrial part metrology,” $495,886

Keiko Yoshioka, professor, department of cell and systems biology, “Development of bacteria-based plant immunity activators,” $491,495

U of T faculty member named a finalist in search for a more efficient way to crush rocks in mining industry

noreen.rasbach — Mon, 13 May 2019 16:33:07 +0000

U of T faculty member named a finalist in search for a more efficient way to crush rocks in mining industry

noreen.rasbach Mon, 05/13/2019 - 12:33

Cutline

Assistant Professor Erin Bobicki wants to decrease the energy required for crushing rocks by 70 per cent (photo courtesy of Erin Bobicki)

Liz Do

Topic

Energy

Sustainabilty

Subheadline

Whether it’s copper for electric cars or lithium for cellphones, many everyday technologies and devices are made of or rely on metals. But mining and extracting these valuable commercial minerals can come at a catastrophic cost to the environment.

The process of comminution – crushing and grinding billions of tonnes of rocks a year – is estimated to account for more than four per cent of the world’s energy consumption. Erin Bobicki, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, wants to decrease the energy required for comminution by 70 per cent.

She and her collaborators in academia and industry are developing a cleaner solution using microwave technology.

“Metal is the basis of almost all the things we know and love – we need mineral processing to function as a society. Unfortunately, it’s extremely energy inefficient. If we can change that, it would make an enormous difference in mining,” says Bobicki, who has researched microwave applications in mineral processing for more than a decade.

Bobicki is leading a team to compete in the Crush It! Challenge, a competition launched by Natural Resources Canada to develop innovative solutions to reduce the energy used for crushing and grinding rocks in the mining industry. Her team, CanMicro, has just been named one of six finalists in the competition, receiving $800,000 in funding to pursue their solution.

By November 2020, the team who demonstrates the most energy savings will receive a $5 million grant to commercialize their technology.

CanMicro’s technology aims to reduce the amount of energy involved in the grinding process by exploiting the fact that valuable minerals tend to be most responsive to heat. When exposing rocks to high-powered microwaves, this variability in thermal response allows rocks that contain valuable minerals to be sorted from those that don’t.

“That means you don’t grind the ones that don’t contain anything valuable – there’s energy savings right there,” she says.

The intense blast of heat also applies stress and strain on the rocks that generates fractures across the mineral grain boundaries, which also reduces the energy required for grinding.

“We don’t have to grind it as fine because what we’re interested in has already been liberated,” says Bobicki. “Yet another opportunity for energy savings.”

The use of microwaves in the mining industry has long been considered a niche application, says Bobicki. That’s mainly because of the hurdle in developing the technology at a larger scale to handle a high tonnage of rocks.

“That’s what excites me about this project,” she says. “The objective is to scale up.”

CanMicro – which includes Professor Chris Pickles from Queen’s University as well as industry members at Kingston Process Metallurgy, Sepro Mineral Systems, COREM and the Saskatchewan Research Council – now have 18 months to test and pick the right microwave equipment before building a pilot plant in Kingston, Ont.

“I think we have a lot of risks to overcome, since this technology has never been scaled up before. But we believe that we’re going to get much better results at high power and achieve significant energy savings,” says Bobicki. “I think our chances of winning are very good.”

Beyond the competition, Bobicki is excited to see the potential of this technology one day applied, not only at a large scale, but across the mining industry.

“You can’t apply this technology to all rocks but imagine if it worked for half of the ores and we were able to reduce half of the energy required for breaking the rocks – that’s huge at a global scale,” says Bobicki.

Don't try this at home: U of T engineer finds microwaving rocks could make mining more sustainable

ullahnor — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 18:40:49 +0000

Don't try this at home: U of T engineer finds microwaving rocks could make mining more sustainable

ullahnor Wed, 02/08/2017 - 13:40

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Erin Bobicki: “I basically did my PhD by putting rocks in a microwave,” she says. “I drilled a hole in it and put a small reactor vessel inside” (photo by Kevin Soobrian)

Tyler Irving

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Tyler Irving

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